Chinese Drug Addicts Receive VR Treatment

Narcotic drugs are thorny roses, addicting users to wallow. Studying abroad is fascinating, full of temptations. A weak-willed student can easily go astray. A few international students misunderstand one thing: they thought the International Student Insurance (aka 留学生 保险) Plan and/or J-1 insurance in the U.S. (aka 美国j1保险) they purchase cover every medical treatment. If they eat drugs by mistake, they will get cured. In fact, drugs coverage is restrictively controlled. Many international students, therefore, want to waive university insurance in the United States (aka waive 美国大学保险).

In the United States, marijuana usage is legally permitted in some states. Whether to use or nor is totally dependent on individuals. Even if a person has bought H-1B insurance (aka h1b 保险) and/or a visit has purchased recommended American travel insurance (aka 美国旅游保险推荐), narcotic drugs are not included in the insurance. People cherish the pleasure of using narcotic drugs at the cost of ruining families, which is much higher than the expense of teeth cleaning in the medical insurance (aka 医疗保险 洗牙).

Knowing the unbearable cost, tens of millions of people succumb to addiction. More than 1,000 drug users in Shanghai have undergone an eight-month virtual reality treatment program over the last three years to overcome their addiction. According to the local judicial department, more than 70 percent of the participants have reduced desire for drugs after undergoing the treatment.

Users wearing a headset see several common drug use scenarios displayed through VR software. The headset is equipped with an infrared eye-tracker that can detect what they are looking at and for how long. If one watches an object for a long time, he or she must be interested in it. The VR system simulates drug-craving cues in order to collect psychological data to evaluate addicts and help them off drugs. Their biological indicators, such as heart rate and skin conductivity, are recorded at the same time.

Traditional methods to induce drug cravings are mainly fake drugs and pictures of drugs, which look unreal, and addicts’ eye movements cannot be recorded accurately, making assessment difficult, said Xu Ding, a senior researcher with Shanghai rehabilitation administration. “The VR technology can offer an immersive environment, such as a party, a bar or a KTV room, where users can interact with virtual features,” Xu said. Health professionals also use VR to help addicts cut their psychological reliance on drugs.

After inducing drug cravings, VR images automatically switch to scenes showing negative consequences of drug use, such as disease, broken families and suicide, to arouse feelings of discomfort and then aversion to drugs. “If you see a worm every time you eat an apple, you’ll stop wanting apples,” said Zhang Chaojing, of Shanghai Qingdong rehabilitation center. Sometimes the VR system displays natural scenery to help calm addicts, better regulate their emotions and gradually abandon drugs. “Modern solutions are more scientific,” said Xu.